KINDERGARTEN AT CROWN OF LIFE

Ov​er 30 years ago, a book was written with essays on life that rapidly became a New York Times bestseller.  It was called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  Following is a clip of advice by the author Robert Fulghum.

“Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.”

As you may notice, none of this advice includes academics.  Not a word about performing at a higher level. Nothing is said about the number of worksheets completed in a day and if tests were taken.  In fact, most of the advice deals with social development and enjoying a variety of activities daily.

At Crown of Life Christian Academy (CoLCA) our kindergarten program is designed to meet the needs of the whole child: Academic, Social, Physical, and Spiritual.  Through a play-based and child-centered curriculum, children are prepared for academic success and more importantly, the needs of the whole child are met. Best of all their most important need is met – growing in their walk with their Savior.

At Crown of Life Christian Academy, we meet the child where they are academically.  Kindergarten is not a one size fits all, therefore we do not teach in such a way. Our Kindergarten teacher, Miss Angela Birner, recognizes that there are 8 different learning styles.  These styles can then be split into 3 overarching categories: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Miss Birner’s aim is to reach each style and notices that students tend to learn best when multiple styles are met.

​By projecting what we are learning on the board and allowing the students to come forward, we are reaching them visually and kinesthetically.

​When we have Science experiments, we allow the students to learn kinesthetically and orally.  By the end of our experiment here the students were able to explain the water cycle using words such as evaporation, precipitation, and condensation.

We also have traditional learning.  By allowing our students time to explore text they are able to search for their sight words and begin sounding out words.

We believe in allowing the students to show us how they learn using their own individual learning style.

By pulling away from a traditional Kindergarten classroom, we have time within our curriculum to focus on our social and emotional skills.  Our focus is not just on the present school year, but on our student’s future as they carry these skills into the rest of their lives. They are able to be social outside of a controlled situation (such as school) and use the problem solving skills they have learned in the real world.​We allow the students to have opportunities to be problem solvers and to work together to come up with solutions within whatever issues may arise.

They are given the opportunity to talk through conflict, offer forgiveness, encourage one another, and celebrate accomplishments. Having the time to develop and fine tune these skills, Kindergarten prepares our students for a lifetime of healthy interactions and to develop long lasting friendships.

​Physical activity is proven to be important for everyone, no matter their age!  It can improve mental skills, which will help students academically.  It can reduce stress and anxiety, providing an enjoyable school day.At CoLCA, we find physical activity to be just as important as their academic skills.  It boosts our students’ ability to learn and leads to better behavior.

Throughout our entire academy, when our teachers recognize the need, brain breaks are given.  These breaks allow students to get up, get their wiggles out, stretch, listen to music, and move about the room.  In Kindergarten, we recognize the need of 5 and 6 year olds to get in plenty of physical activity throughout the week.  They have a PE lesson once a week and two 30 minutes recesses per day, allowing them an entire hour daily outside in the sunshine!

​The aspect of learning which is the most important to us here at CoLCA is our focus on the spiritual.  Our students receive Biblical instruction every day and weekly chapel brings the entire school together to learn about our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We sing songs, learn scripture, and hear a message from Pastor Luchterhand, but also get to participate in holding the offering plate and lighting the candle in chapel.

We have seen many examples and read many articles which reflect the current trend of academic-focused kindergarten classes and the negative impact this can cause to the youngest of elementary students.  Our desire at Crown of Life Christian Academy is to meet the needs of the whole child and to watch them grow in their relationship with Jesus. We have experienced tremendous growth at CoLCA over the past few years, and are thankful to have the need for an entire new building.  Our need for physical expansion reflects the need within the greater Fort Myers community to move their children away from a traditional classroom setting and into a Christ-centered environment.  We are thankful to be able to offer an educational program that meets the needs of the whole child academically, socially, physically, and spiritually. It is our joy to see a child’s elementary years begin with all of these needs met by our Kindergarten program.

​We invite you to experience Crown of Life Christian Academy first-hand to see our Kindergarten class engaged in learning.  To setup a tour, please call the office at 239-482-7315 or send our principal, Hank Hoenecke an email expressing your interest, [email protected].

​May God bless our Kindergarten students!